Thorium is an energy mineral on a par with coal, crude oil and uranium, but also has several possible uses in an industrial context.
Author: Tor Espen Simonsen
Published: 14 Nov, 2023
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Updated: 14 Jan, 2025
The Fen Complex at Ulefoss and Sæteråsen north of Larvik is often mentioned as the thorium deposits in Norway with the greatest potential. For a number of years, The Fen Complex was listed as a thorium resource by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Today, no one believes in a thorium mine on the Fen Complex, but if mining operations are started with rare earths as the main product, thorium will follow as a possible byproduct*.
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Energy minerals refer to natural geological raw materials that can be converted into energy, and include both fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil and natural gas, as well as minerals that are raw materials for nuclear energy, according to NGU.
As an energy mineral, thorium is often launched as a safer alternative to uranium i nuclear power*. According to the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), thorium does not undergo fission like uranium and cannot behave in the same uncontrolled manner as a nuclear reactor based on uranium..
In addition, there are a number of other possible advantages, such as that the radioactive waste does not contain plutonium, has a shorter decomposition time, and that thorium reactors can be used to burn up uranium waste.
For now, the use of thorium for energy production is at the research stage. This means that there are no large-scale thorium reactors in commercial use. The energy crisis in Europe in the wake of the Ukraine war has brought nuclear power back on the agenda in many countries. Although the discussion is mainly about uranium, thorium is also brought up in the energy debate.
Industrially, thorium is often used in alloys and compounds, to achieve properties with a high melting temperature. Thorium is used, among other things, for high-temperature ceramics, catalysts and welding electrodes, and has been used in filaments in gas lamps and wires in electrical appliances, according to NGU.
The USGS also mentions that thorium is used for magnetrons in microwave ovens, optical coatings, tungsten filaments, welding electrodes as well as in nuclear medicine and space technology. As we write on this site in the main thorium-article , the use of this radioactive metal is very limited today. In some areas, processes are also underway to find alternative raw materials that can replace thorium. American scientists shows that non-radioactive substitutes have been developed for several of thorium's traditional uses.
According to the USGS , for example, yttrium compounds have replaced thorium compounds in incandescent lamp caps.
Several substitute materials (such as yttrium fluoride and proprietary materials) are in use as optical coatings in place of thorium fluoride, according to USGS’ fact sheet.
Cerium, lanthanum, yttrium and zirconium oxides can replace thorium in welding electrodes.
Magnesium alloy, with lanthanides, yttrium, and zirconium, can replace thorium alloys in aerospace applications.
Thorium's radioactive properties are often seen as something negative, not least in view of the radiation hazard this can pose when extracting rare earths. But it is also the radiation properties that make thorium relevant for energy production, where thorium can have advantages that uranium lacks.
NGU points out that thorium does not split by itself like uranium, but must be bombarded with neutrons.
"A nuclear reactor based on thorium cannot therefore run wild in the same way as a nuclear reactor based on uranium. A thorium-based reactor will also not have plutonium as a waste product. Plutonium is a highly radioactive element with a long half-life, which poses a major environmental problem", states NGU.
Research and development of new areas of use
The outlook for thorium is not clear cut. Although there is a trend towards the industry wanting to find non-radioactive substitutes for thorium, research is also being carried out into new areas of use. This applies to the use of thorium in the energy sector, but also to the development of medical equipment.
Without applications for thorium, this radioactive metal will become a problematic waste material in the extraction of REE.
However, several entrepreneurs are working to solve this problem and create a market for thorium. This applies, for example, to the Norwegian companies Thorium Norway AS and Thor Energy AS, which will use thorium from the Fen Complex for energy production.
Certain actors are also working to utilize thorium for purposes other than energy. The Norwegian companies Thor Medical AS and Oncoinvent AS are looking at the use of natural thorium as a raw material for the production of radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment.
In a statement to Committee on Business and Industry in the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) in 2023, IFE* emphasized that there is a long way to go before thorium can be used as an alternative to uranium.
According to the IFE, thorium is not a fast track to nuclear energy as the development of thorium as a fuel takes time, and since the IEA* have not developed a separate safety regime for thorium:
«There is no tradition of using thorium in the nuclear power industry, and it is time-consuming to change the type of fuel as it requires very extensive regulatory approval processes.
Fensfelet.no is owned by Nome municipality and Midt-Telemark og Nome utvikling AS (MTNU). The purpose of the website is to provide good and objective information about the Fen Complex to anyone who is interested.
